Method and apparatus for text selection

ABSTRACT

A method includes, detecting a first touch input representing a selection of multiple rows of text displayed on a touch-sensitive display of the electronic device, determining whether a complete row of text has been selected from a start point or to an end point of the selected text, and, displaying a paragraph selection handle proximal to said row, the paragraph selection handle being responsive to a second touch input to place the electronic device in a paragraph selection mode for the selection of text.

FIELD OF THE TECHNOLOGY

The present disclosure relates to electronic devices, including but notlimited to, portable electronic devices having touch-sensitive displaysand their control.

BACKGROUND

Electronic devices, including portable electronic devices, have gainedwidespread use and may provide a variety of functions including, forexample, telephonic, electronic messaging and other personal informationmanager (PIM) application functions. Portable electronic devicesinclude, for example, several types of mobile stations such as simplecellular telephones (feature phones), smart phones, wireless personaldigital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, and laptop computers withwireless 802.11 or Bluetooth® capabilities.

Portable electronic devices such as PDAs or smart telephones aregenerally intended for handheld use and ease of portability. Smallerdevices are generally desirable for portability. A touch-sensitivedisplay, also known as a touchscreen display, is particularly useful onhandheld devices, which are small and have limited space for user inputand output. The information displayed on the touch-sensitive displays,such as text, may be modified based on the functions and operationsbeing performed.

Improvements in devices with touch-sensitive displays, including theselection of content on those devices, are desirable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

Examples of the present proposed approach will now be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a portable electronic device in accordancewith the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a smartphone in accordance with exampleembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a tablet computer is accordance with exampleembodiments of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4A to 4C illustrate an electronic device in accordance with anembodiment showing the initiation of a paragraph selection mode;

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate an electronic device in accordance with anembodiment showing example touch inputs;

FIGS. 6A to 6C illustrate a method of switching between row and letterselection in accordance with the disclosure;

FIGS. 7A to 7C illustrate an electronic device in accordance with anembodiment showing the movement of content in response to a touch input;

FIGS. 8A to 8C show a selection handle in accordance with thedisclosure;

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate an electronic device in accordance with anembodiment showing the extension of a selection handle in response touser input;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of modifying a selectionicon in accordance with the disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of row-by-row selection inaccordance with the disclosure; and,

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a method of paragraph selection inaccordance with the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following describes an apparatus for and method of determining aselection of a selection option based on received user input.

For simplicity and clarity of illustration, reference numerals may berepeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogouselements. Numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding ofthe examples described herein. The examples may be practiced withoutthese details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, andcomponents are not described in detail to avoid obscuring the examplesdescribed. The description is not to be considered as limited to thescope of the examples described herein.

The disclosure generally relates to an electronic device, such as aportable electronic device or non-portable electronic device. Examplesof portable electronic devices include mobile, or handheld, wirelesscommunication devices such as pagers, feature phones, cellularsmart-phones, wireless organizers, personal digital assistants,wirelessly enabled notebook computers, tablet computers, mobile internetdevices, electronic navigation devices, and so forth. The portableelectronic device may be a portable electronic device without wirelesscommunication capabilities, such as handheld electronic games, digitalphotograph albums, digital cameras, media players, e-book readers, andso forth. Examples of non portable electronic devices include desktopcomputers, electronic white boards, smart boards utilized forcollaboration, built-in monitors or displays in furniture or appliances,and so forth.

Example Electronic Device

A block diagram of an example of an electronic device 100 is shown inFIG. 1. The electronic device 100 includes multiple components, such asa processor 102 that controls the overall operation of the electronicdevice 100. Communication functions, including data and voicecommunications, are performed through a communication subsystem 104.Data received by the electronic device 100 is decompressed and decryptedby a decoder 106. The communication subsystem 104 receives messages fromand sends messages to a wireless network 150. The wireless network 150may be any type of wireless network, including, but not limited to, datawireless networks, voice wireless networks, and networks that supportboth voice and data communications. A power source 142, such as one ormore rechargeable batteries or a port to an external power supply,powers the electronic device 100.

The processor 102 interacts with other components, such as a RandomAccess Memory (RAM) 108, memory 110, a touch-sensitive display 118, oneor more actuators 120, one or more force sensors 122, an auxiliaryinput/output (I/O) subsystem 124, a data port 126, a speaker 128, amicrophone 130, short-range communications 132 and other devicesubsystems 134. The touch-sensitive display 118 includes a display 112and touch sensors 114 that are coupled to at least one controller 116that is utilized to interact with the processor 102. Input via agraphical user interface is provided via the touch-sensitive display118. Information, such as text, characters, symbols, images, icons, andother items that may be displayed or rendered on a electronic device, isdisplayed on the touch-sensitive display 118 via the processor 102. Theprocessor 102 may also interact with an accelerometer 136 that may beutilized to detect direction of gravitational forces or gravity-inducedreaction forces.

To identify a subscriber for network access, the electronic device 100may utilize a Subscriber Identity Module or a Removable User IdentityModule (SIM/RUIM) card 138 for communication with a network, such as thewireless network 150. Alternatively, user identification information maybe programmed into memory 110.

The electronic device 100 includes an operating system 146 and softwareprograms, applications, or components 148 that are executed by theprocessor 102 and are typically stored in a persistent, updatable storesuch as the memory 110. Additional applications or programs may beloaded onto the electronic device 100 through the wireless network 150,the auxiliary I/O subsystem 124, the data port 126, the short-rangecommunications subsystem 132, or any other suitable subsystem 134.

A received signal such as a text message, an e-mail message, or web pagedownload is processed by the communication subsystem 104 and input tothe processor 102. The processor 102 processes the received signal foroutput to the display 112 and/or to the auxiliary I/O subsystem 124. Asubscriber may generate data items, for example e-mail messages, whichmay be transmitted over the wireless network 150 through thecommunication subsystem 104. For voice communications, the overalloperation of the electronic device 100 is similar. The speaker 128outputs audible information converted from electrical signals, and themicrophone 130 converts audible information into electrical signals forprocessing.

The touch-sensitive display 118 may be any suitable touch-sensitivedisplay, such as a capacitive, resistive, infrared, surface acousticwave (SAW) touch-sensitive display, strain gauge, optical imaging,dispersive signal technology, acoustic pulse recognition, and so forth.A capacitive touch-sensitive display includes one or more capacitivetouch sensors 114. The capacitive touch sensors may comprise anysuitable material, such as indium tin oxide (ITO).

One or more touches, also known as touch contacts or touch events, maybe detected by the touch-sensitive display 118. The processor 102 maydetermine attributes of the touch, including a location of the touch.Touch location data may include data for an area of contact or data fora single point of contact, such as a point at or near a center of thearea of contact. The location of a detected touch may include x and ycomponents, e.g., horizontal and vertical components, respectively, withrespect to one's view of the touch-sensitive display 118. For example,the x location component may be determined by a signal generated fromone touch sensor, and the y location component may be determined by asignal generated from another touch sensor. A touch may be detected fromany suitable input member, such as a finger, thumb, appendage, or otherobjects, for example, a stylus (active or passive), pen, or otherpointer, based on the nature of the touch-sensitive display 118.Multiple simultaneous touches may be detected.

One or more gestures may also be detected by the touch-sensitive display118. A gesture, such as a swipe, also known as a flick, is a particulartype of touch on a touch-sensitive display 118 and may begin at anorigin point and continue to an end point, for example, a concluding endof the gesture. A gesture may be identified by attributes of thegesture, including the origin point, the end point, the distancetravelled, the duration, the velocity, and the direction, for example. Agesture may be long or short in distance and/or duration. Two points ofthe gesture may be utilized to determine a direction of the gesture. Agesture may also include a hover. A hover may be a touch at a locationthat is generally unchanged over a period of time or is associated withthe same selection item for a period of time.

The optional actuator(s) 120 may be depressed or activated by applyingsufficient force to the touch-sensitive display 118 to overcome theactuation force of the actuator 120. The actuator(s) 120 may be actuatedby pressing anywhere on the touch-sensitive display 118. The actuator(s)120 may provide input to the processor 102 when actuated. Actuation ofthe actuator(s) 120 may result in provision of tactile feedback.

Optional force sensors 122 may be disposed in conjunction with thetouch-sensitive display 118 to determine or react to forces applied tothe touch-sensitive display 118. The force sensor 122 may be disposed inline with a piezo actuator 120. The force sensors 122 may beforce-sensitive resistors, strain gauges, piezoelectric orpiezoresistive devices, pressure sensors, quantum tunneling composites,force-sensitive switches, or other suitable devices

The touch-sensitive display 118 includes a display area in whichinformation may be displayed, and a non-display area extending aroundthe periphery of the display area. The display area generallycorresponds to the area of the display 112. Information is not displayedin the non-display area by the display, which non-display area isutilized to accommodate, for example, electronic traces or electricalconnections, adhesives or other sealants, and/or protective coatingsaround the edges of the display area. The non-display area may bereferred to as an inactive area and is not part of the physical housingor frame of the electronic device. Typically, no pixels of the displayare in the non-display area, thus no image can be displayed by thedisplay 112 in the non-display area. Optionally, a secondary display,not part of the primary display 112, may be disposed under thenon-display area. Touch sensors may be disposed in the non-display area,which touch sensors may be extended from the touch sensors in thedisplay area or distinct or separate touch sensors from the touchsensors in the display area. A touch, including a gesture, may beassociated with the display area, the non-display area, or both areas.The touch sensors may extend across substantially the entire non-displayarea or may be disposed in only part of the non-display area.

Example Smartphone Electronic Device

Referring now to FIG. 2, a front view of an example electronic device100 which is a smartphone 201 is illustrated. The smartphone 201 is amobile phone which offers more advanced computing capability than abasic non-smartphone cellular phone. For example, the smartphone 201 mayhave the ability to run third party applications which are stored on thesmartphone.

The smartphone 201 may include the components discussed above withreference to FIG. 1 or a subset of those components. The smartphone 201includes a housing which houses at least some of the componentsdiscussed above with reference to FIG. 1.

The example smartphone 201 also includes other input interfaces such asone or more buttons, keys or navigational input mechanisms. In theexample illustrated, at least some of these additional input interfacesare disposed for actuation at a front side of the smartphone.

Example Tablet Electronic Device

Referring now to FIG. 3, a front view of an example electronic device100 which is a tablet computer 301 is illustrated. The tablet computer301 may include many of the same features and components of thesmartphone 201 of FIG. 2. However, the tablet computer 301 of FIG. 3 isgenerally larger than the smartphone 201. The tablet computer 301 mayinclude the components discussed above with reference to FIG. 1 or asubset of those components. The tablet computer 301 includes a housingwhich houses at least some of the components discussed above withreference to FIG. 1.

Content Selection

The display 112 of an electronic device 100 is primarily used fordisplaying content. Through the use of user input means on theelectronic device 100, such as touch sensors 114, the user can selectcontent to perform actions on. User interfaces should provide a userwith a way of efficiently and intuitively selecting which content theywish to select.

In the following description, text-based content type will be used forillustrating improved methods of selecting content. However, it shouldbe clear that the proposed solutions can be implemented with contenttypes other than text. Text is used to illustrate the methods as it is agood example of a content type that would benefit from such methods,particularly because there are a number of ways it can be grouped.Textual content may be treated as individual letters, or it may beconsidered as grouping of letters in the form of words, or groupings ofwords in the form of sentences, or other groupings such as by row,paragraph, column and page.

Given how many different ways there are of grouping text, there may alsobe different ways a user may wish to select it, as a user may be moreinterested in selecting a certain paragraph than a certain word. Finertuned selections (such as selection by letter) allow for greateraccuracy of the selection, but would take longer to perform for largerselections (such as selection by paragraph). A user interface may enablea user to perform both fine tuned and larger selections, allowing theuser intuitively to switch between the different granularities for textselection.

Paragraph Selection

FIGS. 4A to 4C illustrate a method of switching between granularities ofselection. In these examples, the method provides a way of performingletter-by-letter selection as well as paragraph selection.

FIG. 4A shows an electronic device 100 with a touch-sensitive-display118, the touch-sensitive display 118 displaying four paragraphs of text405, 410, 420 and 430, a selected portion of text 450 and selectionhandles at the start 440 and end 460 of the selected text 450. Theselected portion of text 450 may have been selected in response to atouch input representing a selection of text.

If the device receives a user input indicating that the end selectionhandle 460 should be moved (for example a touch and drag of theselection handle 460), the end of the text selection 450 may move withit. A small movement of the end selection handle 460 to the right maycause the end of the text selection 450 to move onto the next letter,snapping to the nearest letter to the moved end selection handle 460.Similarly, small movements of the start selection handle 440 may causethe start of the text selection 450 to snap to the letter nearest to thestart selection handle 440. This described modification of the textselection 450 by snapping to whatever letter is closest to a selectionhandle will be referred to as a letter-by-letter selection.

If a user wished to select large portions of the text, for example thefourth 430 paragraph, they may encounter difficulties with selecting thewhole of the fourth paragraph 430 as the end of the paragraph is notdisplayed on the display 112 due to it being below the visible region ofthe display 112 in this example. Therefore, to include the fourthparagraph 430 in the selection, the user may have to drag the endselection handle 460 down to the bottom of the display 112, then scrollthe screen (either by initiating a scrolling gesture or by allowing thescreen to ‘creep’ up in response to the selection handle's 460 closeproximity to the bottom), and, once the end of the fourth paragraph 430comes into view, continue moving the end selection handle 460 to the endof the fourth paragraph 430. This results in a cumbersome, timeconsuming user interaction.

The method reduces the burden on the user by providing a paragraphselection mode and determining when to make it available. It may do soby determining whether the selected portion of text 450 has beenmodified such that either the first or last row of the selection 450 isa complete row of text. If the top or bottom ends of the selected text450contains a complete row, then either the end selection handle 460 hasbeen moved to the end of a row, or the start selection handle 440 hasbeen moved to the start of a row, or both events have occurred. In suchan instance, as a selection handle has been moved to an outer edge of arow, there may be a possibility that the user intends to start selectingwhole paragraphs. Therefore, in response to detecting a selection handleselecting a complete a row, a paragraph selection handle is displayed sothat a user can then perform paragraph selection.

FIG. 4B illustrates a paragraph selection handle 470 being displayed inresponse to a user input. In this example, the selected text 450 of FIG.4A has been expanded to the selected text 451. This expansion is theresult of a movement of the end selection handle 460 to the end of therow, thereby selecting the whole end row of the selected portion of text451 and thus providing the device 100 with an indication that aparagraph selection mode may be required. The paragraph selection handle470 may be positioned on the same row as the complete row just selected.In this example, the paragraph selection handle 470 appears on thebottom row, as that is the complete row just selected by movement of theend selection handle 460. The paragraph selection handle 470 may also bepositioned this way because the most likely direction of furtherparagraph selection may be downwards if the end selection handle 460 hasbeen moved to the end of the row.

Similarly, if the start selection handle 440 is moved to completelyselect a row, as shown in FIG. 4C, then a paragraph selection handle 480may be displayed on a first row of the newly expanded selected text 452.In FIG. 4C, paragraph selection handles are displayed both on the top480 and bottom 470 of the selected text 452, as both start 440 and end460 handles have been moved to completely select a row. If only one ofthe start 440 or end 460 handles have moved to completely select a row,then the paragraph selection handle may appear only on the completed rowand not the other (as shown previously in FIG. 4B).

In addition to, or instead of the criteria that a start or end row of aselected portion of text 450 must be completely selected beforeparagraph selection handles can be displayed, there may be a requirementthat the selected portion of text 450 is above a certain size. Forexample, there may be a requirement that the selected portion of text450 spans at least three rows before the paragraph selection handles canbe displayed. This may be to avoid the instance where only one or tworows have been selected, leading to the possibility of the paragraphselection handles and start or end selection handles being too closetogether to individually control by touch input. Having a minimum rowrequirement may also be beneficial as that way the device may onlydisplay the paragraph selection handles once the selected text 450 islarger than a threshold value, thereby indicating a higher likelihoodthat the user may wish to perform paragraph selections.

The paragraph selection handles themselves may allow the user to selecttext in a paragraph aware manner. For example, if the paragraphselection handle 470 shown in FIG. 4B were dragged down a small amount,the selected portion of text 451 may expand so as to extend to the endof the current paragraph. This may be displayed by showing the bottom ofthe selection area move down to the end of the current paragraph, alongwith the handles 470 and 460. However, this may result in the paragraphselection handle 470 moving away from the original location of theuser's touch that was dragging the paragraph selection handle 470.Therefore, if the user wished to continue with paragraph selection, theuser would have to reselect the now moved paragraph selection handle.This would be especially problematic if the end of the selectedparagraph was not visible on the display.

To address the above problem, the method may instead ensure that theparagraph selection handle 470 being moved is always coupled to thelocation of the touch input moving it. Thus, as the paragraph selectionhandle is dragged 470, the underlying content itself moves in thedisplay so that the end of the current paragraph lies under the touchinput position. In other words, the display may automatically scroll tothe end of the paragraph being selected. In this manner, the user willbe able to see how the end point of the selection changes because thedisplay scrolls so as to always show the end point. Similarly, draggingthe top paragraph selection handle 480 upwards results in the selectionextending to the starts of the paragraphs above, the size of the dragdetermining how many paragraphs above the current one to extend to. Aslong as the user drags the paragraph selection handle 470, the devicewill remain in paragraph selection mode.

If a user drags a bottom paragraph selection handle 470 downwards, theselection area may expand downwards to the end of the paragraph. Furtherdragging the bottom paragraph selection handle 470 downwards may causethe selection area 452 to expand to the end of a lower paragraph (suchas paragraph 430). Similarly, the extent of the drag upwards of a topparagraph selection handle 480 may determine how many paragraphs up theselection area 452 is extended to.

Dragging the selection handles in the opposite direction, however, mayresult in different behaviour. For example, dragging a bottom selectionhandle 470 upwards may cause the selection area 452 to return to what itwas prior to being modified by the bottom paragraph selection handle470. Optionally, dragging the bottom selection handle 470 upwards maycause the selection area 452 to contract in discrete amounts such thatfor each drag upwards, the selection area 452 contracts so that itcovers one less full paragraph. Once the selection area 452 only coversone whole or paragraph, a further movement upward of the bottomselection handle 470 upwards may have no effect on the selection area452.

A flowchart illustrating a method of performing paragraph selection isshown in FIG. 10. The method may be carried out by software executed,for example, by the processor 102. Coding of software for carrying outsuch a method is within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in theart given the present description. The method may contain additional orfewer processes than shown and/or described, and may be performed in adifferent order. Computer-readable code executable by at least oneprocessor of the portable electronic device to perform the method may bestored in a computer-readable medium, which may be a non-transitory ortangible storage medium.

In the method shown in FIG. 10, a first touch input representing aselection of multiple rows of text displayed on a touch-sensitivedisplay of an electronic device is detected 1210. A determination ismade as to whether a complete row of text has been selected from a startpoint or to an end point of the selected text 1220. A paragraphselection handle proximal to the row is displayed, the paragraphselection handle being responsive to a second touch input to place theelectronic device in a paragraph selection mode for the selection oftext 1230.

Row Selection

In the previous section, a method for enabling and performing paragraphselection was disclosed. In addition to, or independently of thismethod, a method for enabling row-by-row selection is provided below.

In letter-by-letter selection mode, as a selection handle is moved, thecorresponding part of the selection area (selected portion of text)snaps to the letter nearest to the selection handle. Therefore, inletter-by-letter mode, as a selection handle is moved across a row,letters are individually added or removed from the selection. However,as a selection handle is moved up or down to a different row, thenearest letter to the selection handle is on a different row and so,when the selection area snaps to that area, it snaps to include all theother letters in the row up to the selection handle. Therefore, moving aselection handle to the very right or left of a row, and subsequentlymoving the selection handle up or down, results in the entire rows beingadded or removed from the selection at a time. In this way, it ispossible to perform row-by-row selection simply by using the mechanicsprovided by existing letter-by-letter selection.

However, performing the above type of row-by-row selection has somedrawbacks. To perform row-by-row selection in this manner requires thata selection handle moves straight up or down along the side of the text.Moving the selection handle into the text and away from the edge mayresult in individual letters being selected instead of rows. Therefore,using a letter-by-letter selection mechanism for row-by-row selectionmay be too sensitive to small deviations in the horizontal movement ofthe selection handle.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate possible sources of deviations. FIG. 5A showsan electronic device 100 with a touch-sensitive display 118, displayingon the touch-sensitive display some text 510 and a selection of the text520. When a user attempts to perform row-by-row selection with the thumb550 of the left hand, they may start the gesture at point 530 and beginto drag a selection handle straight down this drag movement 540 beginsto curve into the text and away from the edge because of the naturalcurvature of a thumb's movement,. This may lead to text selection byletter rather than by row. Similarly, in FIG. 5B, the natural curvatureof movement of a user's right thumb may result in a gesture 570 startingat point 560 to deviate from a straight line path and a curve into thetext. This curvature may be further exaggerated by performing thegesture quickly.

One way to solve the above problem is to incorporate a dedicatedrow-by-row selection mode, such as is illustrated in FIGS. 6A to 6C.FIG. 6A shows a portion of a display 114 containing text 610, aselection area 620, and a selection handle 630. In this example, theselection handle 630 has been dragged to the side of the text, and indoing so has enabled a row-by-row selection mode. Upon entering thismode, moving the selection handle 630 up and down 660 results in thesame behavior as the letter-by-letter based row-by-row implementation.This is because moving the selection handle 630 up and down 660 snapsthe corresponding end of the selection area 620 to the row closest tothe selection handle 630. In this row selection mode, there may be athreshold area 640 provided, such that when a selection handle 630 ismoved outside of this threshold area 640, the selection mode returns toletter-by-letter selection mode. For example, moving the selectionhandle 630 into the text region (or ‘letter-by-letter selection mode’region) 650 may cause row-by-row mode to end. This is illustrated inFIG. 6B, which shows the resulting selection area 621 from such amovement 665 of the selection handle 630 into the text region.Continuing to move the selection handle 630 within the threshold areamay result in row-by-row selection mode to be maintained, as shown inFIG. 6C, where the selection area 622 has been extended by row.

The threshold area 640 may vary in width to compensate for theaforementioned curvature of thumb movement. By causing the thresholdarea to increase with area 640 at regions further from the start pointof the selection handle 630, it may allow for more horizontal variationin the movement of the selection handle. The width of the threshold area640 at various points along its length may be controlled dynamically,such that it varies according to various factors. One such factor may bethe number of rows already selected, since there is a higher chance thatthe user will continue to remain in row-by-row selection mode if a largenumber of rows have already been selected. Moreover, the width of thethreshold area 640 may be increased so as to require a larger, moredeliberate movement of the selection handle 630 into the text area 650before letter-by-letter mode is activated instead of row-by-rowselection. The threshold area 640 may increase as more rows areselected. Similarly, if the selection area 620 is reduced, thelikelihood of returning to letter-by-letter mode increases, and so thethreshold area 640 may decrease as a result. Another possible factor maybe the speed of the movement of the selection handle 630. For example,if it is moved quickly, there is a higher chance of deviation from astraight line, and so the width of the threshold area 640 may beincreased to compensate for this.

This method may be applied to column-by-column selection rather thanrow-by-row selection, depending on the orientation of the text. Forexample, in certain language systems, the text may be arranged invertical lines rather than horizontal lines.

A flowchart illustrating a method of performing row-by-row selection isshown in FIG. 11. The method may be carried out by software executed,for example, by the processor 102. Coding of software for carrying outsuch a method is within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in theart given the present description. The method may contain additional orfewer processes than shown and/or described, and may be performed in adifferent order. Computer-readable code executable by at least oneprocessor of the portable electronic device to perform the method may bestored in a computer-readable medium, which may be a non-transitory ortangible storage medium.

In the method shown in FIG. 11, the location of a text selection icon ona display of an electronic device is detected 1110. Detect touch inputrepresenting a selection of text displayed on the display using the textselection icon 1130. If the detected location of the text selection iconis maintained within a zone adjacent an edge of the display, thedisplayed text is selected on a row-by-row basis 1130. If the detectedlocation of the text selection icon moves outside this zone, thedisplayed text is selected on a letter-by-letter basis 1140.

Selection Handle

Selection handles may be used for controlling selection areas on adisplay. Examples of the use of said selection handles have beenpreviously. Methods are now described which improve on existingselection handle technology, and may be used in any combination with themethods previously described or may be implemented independently.

FIG. 7A shows an electronic device with a touch-sensitive screen, anddisplayed on that screen is a first paragraph of text 710, a secondparagraph of text 711, and a picture 712. In an example, a selection 720has already been made and a start selection handle 730 and end selectionhandle 740 are displayed in connection with the start and end points ofthe selection 720. This selection 720 may have been made by an earliertouch input.

FIG. 7B shows a user 760 touching the selection handle 730, and in doingso obscuring the selection handle 730 and also letters near to the toucharea 750. A problem therefore arises, in that the user is unable to seethe current location of the selection handle 730 will not be able toaccurately determine what is currently selected, when adjusting theselection area 720.

One proposed solution is illustrated in FIG. 7C. On performing a touchinteraction with the selection handle 730, the contents of the displaymay move 780 such that the text in close proximity to the touchedselection handle 730 is not obscured by the touch input object 760. Inthis way, the user may be able to view the content just selected. Also,or instead of this movement 780, an extended selection handle 777 mayappear. This extended selection handle 777 may provide a graphical linkbetween the point of touch on the touch-sensitive display 118 and thecorresponding end of a selection area 720. The touch point may not onlybe graphically coupled to the end of the selection area 720 by theextended selection handle 777, but may also be operatively coupled toit. Therefore, if the touch point moves (for example, because the user760 performs a drag while still touching on the selection handle 777),the corresponding end of the selection area 720 may move as well.

FIG. 8A shows a more detailed view of the extended selection handle 777.On this extended selection handle 777 there may be a touch portion 830(also referred to as a ‘handle’), a neck portion 820 (also referred toas a ‘cursor neck’) and a content selection portion 810 (also referredto as a ‘content selection portion’). The touch portion 830 may be theportion of the selection handle 777 that responds to user input and canbe touched and dragged to cause the rest of the selection handle 777 tobe moved. If a touch input is used to drag the selection handle 777, thetouch portion may remain coupled to the location on the displaycorresponding to the detected touch location such that it always remainsunder the user's finger as the selection handle 777 is moved.

The content selection portion 810 may be coupled to a selection area720. For example, as shown in FIG. 8B, the content selection portion 810is coupled to a start end of the selection area 720 such that as theselection handle 777 moves, as does the start of the selection area 720.This may be represented graphically in a different way, such as shown inFIG. 8C, where the content selection portion 810 is also coupled to thestart end of the selection area 720, but is displayed to reach the topleft portion of the selection area 720. Functionally, there may be nodifference between the two selection handles 777 shown in FIG. 8B and8C.

The neck portion 820 graphically connects the touch portion 830 to thecontent selection portion 810. While the touch portion 830 may beobscured by a user's touch, the user may be able to see the neck portion820 extending from the touch portion 830 (under the user's finger) tothe content selection portion 810. This may indicate to the user thatthe touch portion 830 and content selection portion 810 are connected,and that by dragging the touch portion 830, the content selectionportion 810 will also be moved. Referring back to FIG. 7C, although thepart of the selection area 720 that the user touched has moved away,because the extended selection handle 777 has been displayed the userwill see a connection between where they originally pressed and wherethe corresponding selection area 720 has now moved to. The extendedselection handle 777 may be displayed as an animation, showing atransformation of the original selection handle 730 to the extendedselection handle 777. Such an animation may be a neck portion extendingout of the original selection handle 730 at the same rate as theunderlying content moves up 780.

FIG. 9A shows an electronic device 100 with a touch-sensitive display118 displaying a first and second paragraph 910 and 911, a selectionarea 930 and an extended selection handle 777 coupled to the start ofthe selection area 930. If a user touches 940 the touch portion of theextended selection handle 777 and drags 950 it to a different location,the user's finger (or other touch object) may not obscure the start areaof the selection area 930,because the start of the selection area 930 isspatially separated from the touch portion of the extended selectionhandle 777. Therefore, the user may adjust the selection area 930 whilestill being able to see where the start of the selection area 930 isbeing moved. Similarly, the end of the selection area 930 may be movedthrough use of an extended selection handle coupled to the end of theselection area 930.

However, as the user performs a drag to move the extended selectionhandle 777, there may be a delay between the receipt of the touch inputindicating a drag and the updating of the display to show the newposition of the extended selection handle 777 and selection area 930. Aresult of such a delay may be that the user's finger (or other touchobject) does obscure a part of the selection area 930 or nearby text asthe drag is performed. In other words the selection area 930 may not beable to move as fast as the drag motion and may become obscured as aresult. Also, as a user's finger changes position on the touch-sensitivedisplay 118, the angle the finger makes to the display may change andthere may be a difference between location where the touch is registeredand the location the user thinks they are touching.

FIG. 9B provides a possible solution to this problem. As the extendedselection handle is moved, the neck portion may extend 977 to increasethe distance between the touch portion and the content selectionportion. In other words, to prevent the physical location of the touchobject ‘catching up’ with the coupled part of the selection area 935,the neck portion extends faster than the finger moves. This extensionmay also cater for a changed angle of the user's finger. The length ofthe neck portion may change dynamically depending on factors includingthe speed of the drag, position of the selection area with respect tothe edges of the screen, the detected angle of the user's finger and thesize of the font of the content being selected. The neck portion mayhave a maximum length and it may have a minimum length.

A flowchart illustrating a method of modifying a selection handle isshown in FIG. 10. The method may be carried out by software executed,for example, by the processor 102. Coding of software for carrying outsuch a method is within the scope of a person of ordinary skill in theart given the present description. The method may contain additional orfewer processes than shown and/or described, and may be performed in adifferent order. Computer-readable code executable by at least oneprocessor of the portable electronic device to perform the method may bestored in a computer-readable medium, which may be a non-transitory ortangible storage medium.

In the method shown in FIG. 10, a content selection icon is displayed ona touch-sensitive display of an electronic device 1010. A touch input isdetected at a location operable to select a content selection functionassociated with the content selection icon 1020. On detecting the touch,the content selection icon is modified to display a touch portion atalocation on the display corresponding to the detected touch location,and a content selection portion operatively couple to, but spatiallyseparated from the touch portion 1030.

The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or essential characteristics. The describedembodiments are to be considered in all respects only as illustrativeand not restrictive. The scope of the disclosure is, therefore,indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription. All changes that come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.

1. A method for an electronic device comprising: detecting a first touchinput representing a selection of multiple rows of text displayed on atouch-sensitive display of the electronic device; determining whether acomplete row of text has been selected from a start point or to an endpoint of the selected text; and, displaying a paragraph selection handleproximal to said row, the paragraph selection handle being responsive toa second touch input to place the electronic device in a paragraphselection mode for the selection of text.
 2. A method according to claim1, further comprising detecting a termination of the first touch inputbefore displaying the paragraph selection handle.
 3. A method accordingto claim 1, further comprising detecting a second touch input which isoperable to select and then drag the paragraph selection handle in onedirection, thereby to highlight text to the end of a current paragraphdisplayed.
 4. A method according to claim 1, further comprisingdetecting a second touch input which is operable to select and then dragthe paragraph selection handle in one direction, thereby to highlighttext to the start of a current paragraph displayed
 5. A method accordingto claim 3, further comprising detecting a termination of the secondtouch input and selecting the highlighted text.
 6. A method according toclaim 3, further comprising detecting a reversal in the direction ofdrag of the paragraph selection handle and terminating the paragraphselection mode.
 7. A method according to claim 6, further comprisingplacing the device in a row selection mode after termination of theparagraph selection mode.
 8. A method according to claim 1, comprisingdisplaying a paragraph selection handle proximal each of a start row andan end row when both a start row and an end row of the text selected bythe first touch input are complete.
 9. A method according to claim 1,further comprising displaying a start point handle and an end pointhandle at the start point and end point, respectively.
 10. A methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the first touch input must select at least2 rows of text.
 11. An electronic device comprising a: a touch-sensitivedisplay to receive a touch; at least one processor coupled to theelectronic device and configured to: detect a first touch inputrepresenting a selection of multiple rows of text displayed on atouch-sensitive display of the electronic device; determine whether acomplete row of text has been selected from a start point or to an endpoint of the selected text; and, display a paragraph selection handleproximal to said row, the paragraph selection handle being responsive toa second touch input to place the electronic device in a paragraphselection mode for the selection of text.
 12. The electronic deviceaccording to claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configuredto detect a termination of the first touch input before displaying theparagraph selection handle.
 13. The electronic device according to claim11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to detect a secondtouch input which is operable to select and then drag the paragraphselection handle in one direction, thereby to highlight text to the endof a current paragraph displayed.
 14. The electronic device according toclaim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to detect asecond touch input which is operable to select and then drag theparagraph selection handle in one direction, thereby to highlight textto the start of a current paragraph displayed
 15. The electronic deviceaccording to claim 13, wherein the at least one processor is configuredto detect a termination of the second touch input and selecting thehighlighted text.
 16. The electronic device according to claim 13,wherein the at least one processor is configured to detect a reversal inthe direction of drag of the paragraph selection handle and terminatingthe paragraph selection mode.
 17. The electronic device according toclaim 16, wherein the at least one processor is configured to place thedevice in a row selection mode after termination of the paragraphselection mode.
 18. The electronic device according to claim 11, whereinthe at least one processor is configured to display a paragraphselection handle proximal each of a start row and an end row when both astart row and an end row of the text selected by the first touch inputare complete.
 19. The electronic device according to claim 11, whereinthe at least one processor is configured to display a start point handleand an end point handle at the start point and end point, respectively.20. The electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the first touchinput must select at least 2 rows of text.